Christmas is over and that means its time to start thinking about what to do with that Christmas tree thats shedding pine needles all over your floor (unless, of course, you have an artificial tree).
The City of Tacoma and Pierce County both offer programs for recycling Christmas trees.
TACOMA
Tacoma Solid Waste Management will pick up unflocked Christmas trees from residential garbage customers for free.
Apartment, business and Pierce County residents can dispose of unflocked trees free of charge by bringing them to the City of Tacoma Landfill. Drop trees of at the education turnout area, just before the Recycling Center.
Apartment managers or owners who collect residents trees may drop them off at once, free of charge. Please call 253/591-5543 in advance. Tree lot operators and non-profit groups must pay for disposal.
The Tacoma Landfill, 3510 S. Mullen St, will accept trees through Jan. 18, 2004.
Trees may be dropped off between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m., every day except New Years Day when the landfill is closed. Trees must be free of tinsel, ornaments, flocking and stands.
Solid Waste Management will pick up trees on Tacomas residential customers regular recycling and yard waste collections days.
Customers must cut their trees into lengths no longer than three feet, bundle them with heavy twine and place them next to their yard waste containers.
Flocked trees cannot be recycled and must go into the garbage can.
PIERCE COUNTY
Beautiful Christmas trees sometimes turn into illegally dumped discards after the holidays, but Pierce County Solid Waste has a much better solution — treecycling.
All trees collected in the program are composted into a beneficial soil amendment that is popular with home and commercial gardeners.
Residents who subscribe to yardwaste recycling can place their tree, cut into 4-foot lengths, next to their yardwaste containers on their regular yardwaste collection day in January.
Nails, staples, decorations, tinsel, garland and the tree stand must be removed. Flocked trees are not recyclable.
Households without yardwaste collection service can recycle their tree at little or no cost at any of the drop-off recycling sites throughout Pierce County.
Information about these sites is provided by Pierce County Solid Waste at 253/798-4115 and online at www.piercecountywa.org/treecycle
Pierce Countys refuse and recycling haulers have changed their collection schedules for two weeks to allow employees to spend time with their families on Christmas and New Years Day.
Pickup days remain the same Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, but on Thursday and Friday, pickup will be one day later (Thursday pickup moves to Friday and Friday pickup moves to Saturday).
